Finding a job

6 employers working moms should consider

It's easy to fall in the mindset that being a working mom is a liability to your job search. Sure it may have its disadvantages, like having to find childcare, and you may even have some gaps in your employment history for time you've missed while you were at home taking care of your bundles of joy. But that doesn't mean you're any less qualified.

Your experience as a mom might even put you at an advantage over others for certain jobs. Here are four employers where the fact that you're a working mom could give you an advantage in your job search.

Think back to when you were shopping for your first crib or car seat, and some woefully inexperienced teenager was trying to guide you through your desperate search for the equipment to keep your pride and joy safe and secure. Think how much better you would have felt if others could have given you their personal recommendation on the product that they trusted their own child in. You're not the only one who would have felt better; every mom would want your experienced reassurance.

Sometimes, having the patience and ability to work with children is half the battle. It takes a particular brand of sainthood to be able to endure temper tantrums and sugar highs. If you've acquired these badges of skill through your own parenting, you could put all your hard work to good use with a teaching job for any number of daycares or preschools.

Chick-fil-A owners and managers have a particularly hard time filling positions in their dining room for weekday lunch shifts. These are perfect for a working mom balancing their children's school schedule and work. The shifts typically run from around 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. That gives you plenty of time to be home to pick the kids up from school. Chick-fil-A isn't the only company either. Pretty much any higher-end, fast-casual restaurant would be glad to hire a working mom for a part-time job during the lunch shift.

If you aren't fed up with cleaning after you get finished with your own house, cleaning companies such as MaidPro need Residential Housecleaners to work exclusively during the day. Most shifts start earlier in the morning and finish by around 4 p.m. Being a mom demonstrates your ability to cope with hefty responsibilities, and when a company has to trust you to work with limited supervision, those abilities are key to the success of the company.

As a working mom you probably don't get a lot of opportunities to vacation. With a job at Marriott International, though, your work could be so awesome that it feels like a vacation. Marriott knows that hourly workers are at the core of their company, and offers ultra-flexible scheduling to help you balance your home and work life.

Heading out on maternity leave? No problem. New moms get three months of partially paid time off, and you never have to worry about losing your job while you're on leave. When it's time to return to work, you'll get discounts at hundreds of childcare centers. Marriott International even provides lactation rooms for hourly workers.

Sure, the working environment may seem rushed (the opposite of what a working mom is usually looking for). But hourly employees at McDonald's who work just 20 hours per week are eligible for all sorts of benefits like 401(k), profit-sharing, and stock purchase programs (they might as well hand out gold, because McDonald's stock has performed extremely well historically). You'll also receive medical, dental and vision insurance. For your children, they offer free physicals and well-baby care.

If you already work at McDonald's as an hourly employee and you become pregnant, you'll get at least 12 job-guaranteed weeks of maternity leave at 50 percent of pay. Just like at Marriott, when your kids turn into toddlers, you (or the father if he works at McDonald's) get a 10 percent discount at three national childcare chains.